Halfway through this set, Joe Bonamassa is teasing the crowd by playing a short burst on the guitar, waiting for a cheer, then flicking his guitar pick into the crowd. After about five of these 'play a lick, flick a pick' moments, a joker in the audience challenges Bonamassa to chuck his guitar instead of just the plectrum! Playfully, Joe flipped the bird to the audience member, but we all knew what he was thinking: 'in your hands mate, this Les Paul is just a lump of wood with wires on it' (!)
Fortunately for the rest of us, when a genius like Bonamassa has that 'lump of wood' in his hands, he is capable of producing pure magic. He has only recently returned from a bout of illness, one that forced the cancellation of the original date. He told us the story of how he felt quite bad when in Birmingham, only to be 'reassured' by a fan in a Motörhead T-shirt that it was only 'the English Flu' and nothing to worry about. When he couldn't move the next day, he soon saw that it WAS something to worry about! That was about the only time he spoke to us during the show, he and his band spent the majority of the two hours rattling through a cracking set. It was as though they thought that they had a lot to get through, so they'd better get on with it. The main man was in sparkling form with the fingers all night, and considering he was unable even to speak just a few days before, he was singing superbly too, if not quite at the level he was at Liverpool then that was understandable.
The Academy was packed out that night, this was the first time I'd been there since its extensive refurbishment was completed. The entrance has been totally rebuilt, with a brand new and much bigger bar. The venue looks a lot bigger than I remember it being previously, plus they have installed a balcony at the rear of the hall. The sound was very good, and according to the man himself, 2300 of us showed up. Although very much steeped in the blues, Bonamassa is not averse to a touch of Metal in his playing, throwing the horns frequently. He also threw in a touch of Deep Purple's 'Perfect Strangers' in 'Bridge To Better Days', as well as mixing up 'Just Got Paid' with Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' just as he did at Liverpool. There was not as much acoustic as we got in July, although what was played was as dazzling as anything on the electric axe.
When I reviewed the Liverpool gig in the summer, I said he would be back playing larger venues. I still think that, but at this rate it will be arenas very soon. 2009 will be his year, let's hope that the media in his RnB-obsessed homeland don't catch on just yet to how special this guy is, because once they do he will be a superstar. A few more UK and European tours before that happens, please, Joe!
Do not miss this guy when he does come back.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Monday, 10 November 2008
Caught Live: ALTER BRIDGE, Manchester Apollo 9 November 2008
I was not expecting to be writing about Alter Bridge until later in the week; I'm going to see them on Tuesday in Wolverhampton. Joe Bonamassa, who was down to play at the Manchester Academy last night and for whom I actually bought a ticket, cancelled owing to illness. I only found out once there, when two Academy staff were stood on duty informing disappointed JB fans of the news. I also got told that the news of the cancellation was only passed to them two hours before! So, having travelled up the M62 I wasn't gonna waste the evening and immediately took off for the Apollo, hoping that there were still Alter Bridge tickets available on the door. There were, and so I got in just after support act Logan had finished their set.
The bill originally included Hot Leg, Justin Hawkins's current band, but following a throat infection to lead singer Justin Hawkins they withdrew from the tour after the London show. They received a mixed reception at best throughout, not everyone was pleased to see them by all accounts and after some coin-throwing antics at some gigs, it was probably for the best they pulled out. Speaking as a big AB fan myself, I'm immensely disappointed but that's for another blog, tonight was just about Alter Bridge.
I was some way back in the stalls for this show, although not sold out the gig had attracted a big turnout; I would guess I was not the only Bonamassa punter who made a diversion to the Apollo!
Alter Bridge came on to huge cheers from the crowd, opening with 'Come To Life'. They were getting a fantastic reception from a partisan crowd, with a set that included plenty of songs from the 'Blackbird' album, but more this time from previous albuim 'One Day Remains' than they played last time I saw them, at the Academy earlier in the year. The 'ODR' songs were particularly well-received I thought, the crowd were frequently taking over the vocal from Myles Kennedy. I did have to wonder why he left his guitar off for the older numbers, particuarly when a guitar tech came on to play rhythm behind Mark Tremonti during the track 'One Day Remains'!
The majority of the set was the anthemic, chunky rock AB are known for, although they broke it up a little halfway through, when Myles Kennedy sang 'Watch over You' acoustically, accompanied as ever by about two thousand backing singers! The AB choir were in full voice too, for 'In Loving Memory'; restored to the set this time around, the poignant song obviously resonates with many.
This is the third time I've seen Alter Bridge and once again they played a great set to an adoring crowd. The only real problem I had was with the out-front sound, it was crap! The Apollo is a large theatre, its ceiling is very high and I don't know if this is the problem but the whole sound just seemed to swirl around, it didn't hit as hard as I was expecting. It was almost like being in an arena, you expect big boomy sound in one of those places but not so much in a smaller venue. The drums just didn't thud, the guitars sounded almost apologetic, it just lacked impact. The band didn't let that affect them however, Kennedy in particular was in top form with his voice and his ability to reach the audience. Let's hope those Zeppelin rumours are just rumours!
They encored with my favourite AB song 'Broken Wings', then after a bluesy interlude with 'Lemon Song' (an in-joke, Myles?) they ended with 'Rise Today'.
I was straight out of the door once the gig ended, only to encounter the boys from Logan at the door! I sneaked a quick chat with Kenny from the band and dashed back to the car.
So, not the gig I was intending to see, but good nonetheless. I do wish they had played the Academy though, since I think the sound suits that place far better than the Apollo. I will be seeing AB once again at Wolverhampton and I hope the acoustics there are better!
The bill originally included Hot Leg, Justin Hawkins's current band, but following a throat infection to lead singer Justin Hawkins they withdrew from the tour after the London show. They received a mixed reception at best throughout, not everyone was pleased to see them by all accounts and after some coin-throwing antics at some gigs, it was probably for the best they pulled out. Speaking as a big AB fan myself, I'm immensely disappointed but that's for another blog, tonight was just about Alter Bridge.
I was some way back in the stalls for this show, although not sold out the gig had attracted a big turnout; I would guess I was not the only Bonamassa punter who made a diversion to the Apollo!
Alter Bridge came on to huge cheers from the crowd, opening with 'Come To Life'. They were getting a fantastic reception from a partisan crowd, with a set that included plenty of songs from the 'Blackbird' album, but more this time from previous albuim 'One Day Remains' than they played last time I saw them, at the Academy earlier in the year. The 'ODR' songs were particularly well-received I thought, the crowd were frequently taking over the vocal from Myles Kennedy. I did have to wonder why he left his guitar off for the older numbers, particuarly when a guitar tech came on to play rhythm behind Mark Tremonti during the track 'One Day Remains'!
The majority of the set was the anthemic, chunky rock AB are known for, although they broke it up a little halfway through, when Myles Kennedy sang 'Watch over You' acoustically, accompanied as ever by about two thousand backing singers! The AB choir were in full voice too, for 'In Loving Memory'; restored to the set this time around, the poignant song obviously resonates with many.
This is the third time I've seen Alter Bridge and once again they played a great set to an adoring crowd. The only real problem I had was with the out-front sound, it was crap! The Apollo is a large theatre, its ceiling is very high and I don't know if this is the problem but the whole sound just seemed to swirl around, it didn't hit as hard as I was expecting. It was almost like being in an arena, you expect big boomy sound in one of those places but not so much in a smaller venue. The drums just didn't thud, the guitars sounded almost apologetic, it just lacked impact. The band didn't let that affect them however, Kennedy in particular was in top form with his voice and his ability to reach the audience. Let's hope those Zeppelin rumours are just rumours!
They encored with my favourite AB song 'Broken Wings', then after a bluesy interlude with 'Lemon Song' (an in-joke, Myles?) they ended with 'Rise Today'.
I was straight out of the door once the gig ended, only to encounter the boys from Logan at the door! I sneaked a quick chat with Kenny from the band and dashed back to the car.
So, not the gig I was intending to see, but good nonetheless. I do wish they had played the Academy though, since I think the sound suits that place far better than the Apollo. I will be seeing AB once again at Wolverhampton and I hope the acoustics there are better!
Saturday, 8 November 2008
Caught Live: AIRBOURNE (and STONE GODS) - Carling Academy Liverpool 7 November 2008
'It's OK now, they've all gone, the city is yours again', I told myself as I headed into Liverpool, the night after the MTV award show took over town. It was certainly great publicity for our city, but the fare on offer was not my thing, plus I hate all that 'celebrity' stuff. I much prefer a hard-hitting, kick-ass hard rock show such as what was on at the Carling, just 24 hours after Perez Hilton and his mates all skedaddled.
I'm making a habit of spotting the bands outside the venue at this place; as I arrived at the Carling, Dan and Toby from Stone Gods were stood there, ciggies in hand, so I took the opportunity to find out the time they would be playing, straight from the source! As it turned out I had 1/2 hour before they were due on, which was good since I was waiting for a mate, whose ticket I had. Once he turned up we had enough time for a swift pint before heading into what was an already crowded upstairs room at the Carling. Stone Gods came on at around 8:45, and wasted no time in ramping up the volume. This was the first time I'd seen this band, they were meant to play the same venue back in June but were forced to cancel owing to health issues relating to then drummer Ed Graham. Since then, Robin Goodridge (ex of Bush) has taken over the drum stool, now I did see Bush a few times during the late 1990s and after, I don't remember him being THIS LOUD and THIS POWERFUL!
The Stone Gods sound is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, as heavy and as hard as the name suggests. Richie Edwards proved to be a great front man, easily getting the crowd clapping, bouncing, and shouting. Dan Hawkins has swapped his Thin Lizzy T-shirt for a Deep Purple one, and has set his guitar to KILL, not stun!
They played for just under an hour, it was HARD, BRUTAL, LOUD HEAVY METAL - just like it used to be! I've yet to hear the album; if it captures even a fraction of their incendiary live sound, it will be quite something.
After the Stone Gods left the crowd reeling, we had quite a wait before the headliners took to the stage. The Carling Academy had filled up quite nicely by this stage, a great turnout in Liverpool this night for the new Aussie heroes. I suspect many present were AC/DC fans disappointed at not being able to get tickets for their upcoming shows, however this tour is selling like hotcakes too with 'sold out' signs a common sight. The comparisons with AC/DC have been ongoing since 'Running Wild' hit the streets earlier this year; since then of course, the masters have returned with their own new album. It was with eager anticipation then, we awaited the apprentices! Once they came onstage, the crowd erupted as they began with 'Stand Up For Rock and Roll'. It was unrelenting for the next hour, as they blasted through all the tracks from the album, complete with the synchronised guitar swings from David Roads and Justin Street, Joel O'Keefe's abrasive vocals, backed by Ryan O'Keefe's pounding drums. Joel did an offstage walk during 'Heartbreaker', coming right past me while still playing! When not taking a walk, he was smashing cans of Stella against his head until they burst open, then lobbing them into the crowd!
There's nothing complicated about Airbourne, it's straightforward hard-hitting hard rock played by guys who really mean it. It's that which has won over sceptical, hard-to-please classic rock fans, the sort of crowd which can spot fakers and chancers a mile off. These guys are anything but fakers, they are the genuine article. Catch them now, while they are still on the way up, while you can still get up close. They're destined for far bigger things, provided they can keep the unit together. Absolutely awesome.
I'm making a habit of spotting the bands outside the venue at this place; as I arrived at the Carling, Dan and Toby from Stone Gods were stood there, ciggies in hand, so I took the opportunity to find out the time they would be playing, straight from the source! As it turned out I had 1/2 hour before they were due on, which was good since I was waiting for a mate, whose ticket I had. Once he turned up we had enough time for a swift pint before heading into what was an already crowded upstairs room at the Carling. Stone Gods came on at around 8:45, and wasted no time in ramping up the volume. This was the first time I'd seen this band, they were meant to play the same venue back in June but were forced to cancel owing to health issues relating to then drummer Ed Graham. Since then, Robin Goodridge (ex of Bush) has taken over the drum stool, now I did see Bush a few times during the late 1990s and after, I don't remember him being THIS LOUD and THIS POWERFUL!
The Stone Gods sound is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, as heavy and as hard as the name suggests. Richie Edwards proved to be a great front man, easily getting the crowd clapping, bouncing, and shouting. Dan Hawkins has swapped his Thin Lizzy T-shirt for a Deep Purple one, and has set his guitar to KILL, not stun!
They played for just under an hour, it was HARD, BRUTAL, LOUD HEAVY METAL - just like it used to be! I've yet to hear the album; if it captures even a fraction of their incendiary live sound, it will be quite something.
After the Stone Gods left the crowd reeling, we had quite a wait before the headliners took to the stage. The Carling Academy had filled up quite nicely by this stage, a great turnout in Liverpool this night for the new Aussie heroes. I suspect many present were AC/DC fans disappointed at not being able to get tickets for their upcoming shows, however this tour is selling like hotcakes too with 'sold out' signs a common sight. The comparisons with AC/DC have been ongoing since 'Running Wild' hit the streets earlier this year; since then of course, the masters have returned with their own new album. It was with eager anticipation then, we awaited the apprentices! Once they came onstage, the crowd erupted as they began with 'Stand Up For Rock and Roll'. It was unrelenting for the next hour, as they blasted through all the tracks from the album, complete with the synchronised guitar swings from David Roads and Justin Street, Joel O'Keefe's abrasive vocals, backed by Ryan O'Keefe's pounding drums. Joel did an offstage walk during 'Heartbreaker', coming right past me while still playing! When not taking a walk, he was smashing cans of Stella against his head until they burst open, then lobbing them into the crowd!
There's nothing complicated about Airbourne, it's straightforward hard-hitting hard rock played by guys who really mean it. It's that which has won over sceptical, hard-to-please classic rock fans, the sort of crowd which can spot fakers and chancers a mile off. These guys are anything but fakers, they are the genuine article. Catch them now, while they are still on the way up, while you can still get up close. They're destined for far bigger things, provided they can keep the unit together. Absolutely awesome.
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